Lviv, the Ukrainian “chess capital”, awaits Russia's next move

A group of chess fans watch the exciting game being played on a bench in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, a city still relatively sheltered from the consequences of the Russian invasion.

A pawn eats a horse, then there is a frenzy of movements and the end of the game. The losing player leaves a note in the bank and immediately the pieces are placed back on the old board.

“Chess is a very difficult game,” says Andrei Volokitin, 35, current Ukrainian champion. “It takes memory, calculation, strategy, a vision of the whole”, enumerates this great teacher.

But about the Russian invasion of his country, he sees no possible way out: “I'm afraid this will last several months, maybe longer, I don't know,” he admits. “It's the new reality for all the people of Ukraine.”

Lviv — in western Ukraine and just 70 km from the Polish border — has so far been spared the violent Russian offensive, which began on 24 February.

This city is considered to be the cultural center of the country. Its cobbled streets are full of cafes, shops and restaurants.

The city is also known as the “capital of chess”. The former Soviet Union, which included Ukraine until its dissolution in 1991, massively supported the practice of this game, whose dominance should reflect its strategic superiority.

- Relative calm -

This past explains the influx of curious men, generally, who attend matches between amateur players on the main promenade of the city, despite the cold temperatures.

Lviv had between 20 and 30 chess grandmasters for its 700,000 inhabitants, according to Andrei Volokitin.

For this community of chess fans, the invasion of their country has consequences. The International Chess Federation (FIDE) cancelled scheduled tournaments in Russia and banned the raising of the Russian flag in international competitions. The Ukrainian federation demanded that Russian players should not be able to participate in them.

Volokitin signed an open letter from chess players who refused to face Russian opponents, as in the individual European championship scheduled next week in Slovenia.

He received an exemption to go, despite the fact that no Ukrainian man aged 18 to 60, suitable for combat, can leave the country. His wife and daughter are refugees in Poland.

The relative calm that prevailed in Lviv since the start of the offensive three weeks ago was broken on Friday, with the Russian bombing of an aircraft repair factory near the airport. There were no casualties.

- “A difficult game” -

On the central promenade, chess fans comment on the situation in the country. Oleh Chernobayev, 52, humbly accepts his defeat, in less than 10 minutes, to Andrei Volokitin. He is, on the other hand, more optimistic about Ukraine's chances against Russia in this conflict.

“We are going to win, without a doubt. Our people are brave, people without weapons stop tanks”, he says. According to him, the Russian army “cannot take Kiev”. “Our men are very brave,” he says.

Close to him, Oleksander believes that this is “a difficult game, a game of spirit”.

“We have to fight for Ukraine the same way we fight in chess,” he says.

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